One Piece: Parallel Beginnings
by Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin
Summary: Meet Aomame Kirigaya - Doctor's apprentice, Devil Fruit user, and a new pirate. Meet Terrance, Kim, Stanton, Donovan, Yohan, Indie, Beal, and Llewellyn - The Aries Pirates. Meet Leira Aries - An Aries Pirate, now a prostitute. Meet the Dragon Lady - A madam holding Leira captive. In the span of twenty-four hours, these eleven people will go from ordinary people to folk heroes.
1. Aomame Kirigaya

**Author's Note: **You know those cryptic clues I posted to my profile and PM-ed to various readers of **One Piece: Parallel Works/Parallel Generations**? Those were leading up to this - A new pirate crew of mine that gets their own story!

Anyway, I already have a beginning, middle, and end to this story, since this story only takes place over the course of twenty-four hours. This story will be shorter than Parallel Generations and much shorter than Parallel Works, so I'm thinking that this will be wrapped up in about ten to fifteen chapters.

All clear on this? Perfect. Let's start.

**Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eichiiro Oda. Please support the official release. All I own are the Capricorns, the Libras, and the Aries Pirates. And some other One Piece OCs who are less important.**

* * *

**Ch. 1: "Aomame Kirigaya."**

I'm ten years old, and I am playing outside of the shack I call "home". I am chasing the ball through the dirt, when my parents approach me, strained smiles on their faces.

"Aomame, it's time to go," My mother tells me.

"Go where?" I ask.

"Don't you remember? You were going to live with your uncle while we look for work," My father explains.

"Why do I need to leave so you can get work?" I ask. My father sighs.

"Because we can't afford anything right now. Your uncle always has money, because he's a doctor," My father explains. "Now, be a good girl and listen to your father."

I nod.

"Yes, father," I say.

* * *

Over the next fifteen years, I learn about the perks and perils of being a doctor, thanks to my uncle. Some of it is helpful advice, the rest is... Questionable. I still have scars on my stomach abdomen when he removed my appendix and when he did something to my stomach when a stomach virus swept through the town. Whatever he did to my stomach, it cured the virus. I also wear glasses now, because of his "experiments" that left both of my eyes messed up.

Of course, this job didn't come without waking up from a nightmare or two. They've decreased the longer I've been under the tutlage of my uncle, but I still have the occasional nightmare of removing a bullet, wounds festering with infection, sickening infections, or surgery.

On the day of my twenty-fifth birthday, my uncle gave me something to eat that wasn't a birthday cake - A Devil Fruit. More specifically, the Cryo Cryo no mi. A Paramecia that puts the user in a cryogenically frozen state so their bodies can repair from injury faster.

"You want me to do WHAT?" I ask. My uncle said nothing as he slid a bottle of pills toward me.

"I want you to overdose on these pills. I need to measure how long it would take for your body to repair itself," My uncle explains.

"Are you serious?! I'll die!" I yell. My uncle says nothing as he opens the bottle and forces it into my mouth.

"No, you won't. When you are about to die, the Cryo Cryo no mi will put you into a cryogenically frozen state while your body cells repair themselves," My uncle explains "reassuringly". Through all the pills in my mouth, I ask how long I would be comatose. "I'd say about a week or so."

Those are the last words I hear before I black out.

* * *

When I awake, it's early afternoon. My awakening is what clues me into the fact that the Cryo Cryo no mi works.

But, what day is it? How long have I been knocked out?

Running a hand through my long, dark-green hair, I find a note at my feet. Curious, I pick it up and read it.

**Aomame,**

**If you are reading this, then the effects of the Cryo Cryo no mi worked. Unfortunately, as I write this note, the local sheriff is sacking my office. Aomame, I am going to be in prison for a long time for practicing "fake medicine". As soon as you've finished reading this, I want you to pack your things and go. I don't care where you go, just... Just go to safety, okay?**

It appears to be all my uncle wrote, as there is no closing to the letter. Folding the letter up, I contemplate what will happen next.

* * *

"One coffee, two sugars."

Not even an hour later, I am sitting in a greasy spoon diner, a rucksack with all of my clothing, medical supplies, and belongings at my side.

"You've got it," The waitress says. "Anything else?"

"What day is it?" I ask.

"It's Friday, the 20th of May," The waitress answers.

Two weeks.

I was put into my cryogenic state on May 6th, two weeks ago.

"Anything else I can get you, hon?" The waitress asks me.

"No, not at all," I answer. After the waitress leaves, I am left alone to contemplate what has happened. However, my moment alone is brief.

"Hey, there. Are you a doctor?"

* * *

**Ending Note: Review if you want to see the Aries Pirates!**


	2. Terrance Katell

**Author's Note: **And, here is chapter two. Chapter three may be posted later today.

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

* * *

**Ch. 2: "Terrance Katell."**

I look up, and I see a boy of about seventeen or eighteen. He has a rather standard appearance to him - shaggy, blonde hair, a green-and-white colored baseball T-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers.

"Why, yes I am," I say. "Are you a pirate looking for a doctor?"

"Yes, I am," The boy says, sitting down across from me. "What's your name?"

"Aomame. Aomame Kirigaya," I answer.

"Nice to meet you, Aomame," The boy says. "I'm Terrance. Terrance Katell, the captain of the Aries Pirates. Right now, my crew and I are getting ready to go to Comstock Island, which is two hours from here."

"What's going on?" I ask. Terrance's face grows dark.

"We're breaking my cousin, Leira Aries, out of a brothel. She's nineteen, and the infamous Dragon Lady has her," Terrance explains.

"Is Leira on your crew?" I ask.

"Yes, she is. She's our first mate, and the crew is named for her. It was her idea, as Leira is a bit cocky," Terrance explains. The waitress returns with my coffee and leaves a moment later.

"When did... Leira get kidnapped?" I ask.

"Six months ago. We had just assembled a crew to go to the Grand Line, when she was kidnapped. Since then, we've been island-hopping to get to the Dragon Lady. Tonight is our last chance to get Leira before the Dragon Lady heads out to the North Blue," Terrance explains. "Of course, it would be hard to track the Dragon Lady to the North Blue, so we need your help - Are you willing to come along with us?"

I think about this for a moment. I barely know this boy, and he's asking me to do something that sounds very involved - Freeing a prostitute from an infamous pirate's grasp.

"Who else do you have?" I ask.

"Kim Tyrell - Shipwright's apprentice from the East Blue Shipwright Company. 'Seventh Brother' Stanton Milliken - Our chef and sniper, who is wanted for 10,000 Beri. 'Kagerou' Donovan Tan - Our navigator, he has a 15,000 Beri bounty for getting into a couple of brawls with the Marines. Leira Aries - My cousin, whom the crew is named for. Yohan Katsuragi - Owner of the Katsuragi Trading Compound. Indie Van Horn - A musician with a bit of a mean streak. Beal Myles - An informant-turned-swordsman. And, last but not least, Llewellyn O'Dair - Our historian who has been born and raised on the Grand Line. I think we'll be okay," Terrance explains. "Oh, I can't forget about you, Aomame Kirigaya - Cold, calculating, and sexy."

I blush upon Terrance's mention that I'm "sexy".

"Ummm... Thank you for the compliment?" I say.

* * *

A few minutes later, Terrance and I are walking to his ship.

"So, Terrance, tell me about yourself," I say, trying to ease the silence between us. Terrance sighs.

"My mom died when I was ten of smallpox, leaving me alone with a deadbeat asshole of a father. Of course, I walked out on him a few months back, basically telling him to get his shit together and be a father," Terrance explains. "And you? How has life been treating you?"

"My family was poor, so they turned me over to my uncle when I was ten. He was a doctor of shady morals, so I learned the tools of the trade from him. Two weeks ago, on my twenty-fifth birthday, my uncle made me eat the Cryo Cryo no mi, a Devil Fruit that puts the user in a cryogenically frozen state if their body is sick and/or injured. You want to know how he tested it out on me? Made me overdose on pills, which knocked me out for two weeks. During those two weeks, he was arrested for practicing his fake medicine, leaving me alone. So, after I woke up from being cryogenically frozen, I packed my things and left," I explain. Terrance is silent, taking my story in.

"Your uncle sounds like a complete jerk. My dad may not be much better because of his alcohol and his women, but it just goes to show how people can be complete jerks sometimes," Terrance explains.

"Just like the Dragon Lady?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah, just like the Dragon Lady," Terrance says as we approach a ship docked in the harbor. "Here we are, the Cartago. Your new home."

"Do I have to share a room?" I ask as we make our way up the gangplank.

"Just with Indie, Kim, and Leira. I'm sure they won't mind," Terrance explains as we board the ship. Right as I step foot onto the ship, a medium-sized, white dog runs onto the deck and begins to bark loudly.

"What?! You never told me you had a guard dog!" I yell over the dog's barking.

"Pontipee! Bad dog! Heel!"

A man of about thirty with sandy, blonde hair runs onto the deck.

"Is this your dog?" I ask.

"Yes, he is. Pontipee's the guard dog 'round here," The man answers. "And, who might you be?"

"Aomame Kirigaya. I'm the crew's new doctor," I introduce myself. The man holds out a hand, which I shake.

"Stanton Milliken. I'm the chef and the sniper," The man - Stanton - introduces himself.

"I've heard about you. You've got a 10,000 Beri bounty on your head. What happened?" I ask.

"Did Terrance fill you in on our situation with Leira?" Stanton asks me. I nod. "Well, a couple of islands back, we raided a brothel we thought Leira was being held in. Turns out, she wasn't there. Hell, it wasn't even a brothel the Dragon Lady owned. So, the brothel madam calls the Marines on us for 'disturbing the peace'. Everyone else manages to get out before the Marines get here except for me. What happened? I was trying to tell everyone that we had the wrong address."

"Hindsight is only 20-20," I say sarcastically.

"It always is," Stanton says with a sigh. "Anyway, do you have a weapon?"

"No, not really. Unless you count scalpels," I say. Stanton smiles.

"That's okay. We're about to leave the island for Comstock Island, and the voyage will take about two hours. For now, you can train with Kim and Beal in the armory," Stanton explains.

"Kim and Beal? I've never met them yet," I say as my eyes trail to a boy with purplish-black hair who is messing with the anchor. "Is that Beal?"

"No, that's Donovan. He's not a talker. Had his vocal cords ripped out in a brutal incident that nearly left him for dead. However, he uses the Tele Tele no mi, which allows him to communicate telepathically," Terrance explains. When Terrance finished talking, Donovan looks up, almost as if he is glaring at me.

"_Pleasure to meet you, Aomame Kirigaya_," Donovan says to me telepathically.

* * *

**Ending Note: **Just so you know, the story kind of starts off slow, but it will pick up probably in the next chapter.

**Review if you want things to pick up in the story!**


	3. Kim Tyrell

**Author's Note: **Well, this is where things start to pick up - At the end of this chapter, the Aries will dock at Comstock Island and they will set out to find Leira.

Just so you know, in a couple of chapters, I will have a chapter told in the P.O.V. of Leira. The chapter after Leira's P.O.V. will be told in the Dragon Lady's P.O.V., and the chapter after that will switch back to Aomame's P.O.V. The last chapter - chapter ten or eleven - will be told in third-person P.O.V. Got it?

**Disclaimer: I only own my numerous OCs for One Piece. Hell, I have so many characters, I can make the next Game of Thrones-styled epic fantasy, but without all of the deaths.**

* * *

**Ch. 3: "Kim Tyrell."**

It's been a half-hour since we set sail, and I am now in the armory with Kim Tyrell - the shipwright - and Beal Myles - the swordsman. While Kim is a sarcastic girl with short, black hair, Beal is much more sympathetic. He also looks kind of out of place with his messy, brown hair and his brown overcoat.

"Come on! Can't you shoot straight?! You're a doctor!" Kim yells as I miss another target with the bow and arrow I was assigned to practice with. The bow has the initials "I.V.H." carved onto them, so I assume that it belongs to somebody else on the crew.

"Being good at medicine has nothing to do with being good at archery," I say as I set the bow against the wall. Beal runs over to me.

"Be careful! That's Indie's bow, and she has a special way of putting her bow away!" Beal warns me as he picks up the bow and places it on a high shelf. I then remember what Terrance said about Indie:

"_Indie Van Horn - A musician with a bit of a mean streak_."

"Well, you can't use a bow, you can't wield a spear... Is there ANY weapon you know how to handle?" Kim asks me as she goes over to the shelf and picks out a long staff with three, metal balls attached to a rope tied to the staff. "Try using my weapon, a bola."

Kim hands me the bola.

"How do I use it?" I ask as I study my weapon.

"You raise it above your head, spin it around, and then strike," Kim explains. "Don't worry about killing anybody, since the balls of this bola are made up of wood."

My attempts at using a bola fail, as I accidentally give Beal a nice bump on the back of his head.

"Sorry," I apologize to Beal as I grab an ice pack from the freezer.

"It's okay. It happened before," Beal says as he presses the ice pack to the bump on the back of his head. "Except Kim was on the end of it and not you."

"You must be Aomame! We've been dying to meet you!"

A girly with feathery, blonde hair, a grey-haired boy of about seventeen, and a man in his fourties enter the kitchen.

"Yep. I'm your new doctor," I introduce myself. "Aomame Kirigaya."

"I'm Yohan Katsuragi, owner of the Katsuragi Trading Compound in the Grand Line," The man in his fourties introduces himself. "I have a son back home named Wolfgang. He's eighteen, and he's going to graduate high school in a few weeks."

"I'm Llewellyn O'Dair. I'm eighteen, and me home island is Erin Island, on the Grand Line," The gray-haired boy introduces himself. He also has a cute accent that reminds me of the accents I heard on BCB East Blue. (1)

"And I'm Indie Van Horn. Musician," The girl with the blonde hair introduces herself. "Heard we were going to be roomies."

"Yep. With Leira and Kim," I answer as Terrance, Stanton, Donovan and Kim join us.

"Yeah, our rooms are like that. You have a room with Kim, Leira, and Indie, and I share a room with Donovan, Stanton, Yohan, and Beal. Terrance gets his own bloody room because he's the captain," Llewellyn explains.

"Are you questioning the decisions of your dear captain?"

Terrance enters the room.

"No, I haven't," Llewellyn quickly says. "Anyway, what are we having for dinner?"

"I'm just going to make everyone some sandwiches, since we're getting close to Comstock Island. Time is of the essence," Stanton explains.

* * *

As soon as I know it, we've arrived at Comstock Island, which appears to be desert. However, I can see some skyscrapers and some snow-capped mountains from the decks.

"Alright, are we ready?" Terrance asks the Aries Pirates. I then notice that all of them have their weapons drawn - Terrance has a baseball bat, Kim has a long paddle and she has her bola tied to her belt, Stanton has two pistols, Donovan has a katana with a long blade, Yohan has a dart gun, Indie has her bow and arrows, Beal has two dao swords, and Llewellyn has a war scythe.

"What about me?" I ask.

"Oh! I'll be right back!" Terrance says before he goes back inside. Terrance returns a few moments later with a small, square pouch. "There are knives in here. They will be your weapons."

Terrance gives the pouch to me.

"Thank you," I say as I fasten the pouch to my upper arm.

"Now are we ready?" Terrance asks us.

"Aye!" Llewellyn yells.

"Alright, then..." Stanton says as he kneels down to the level of Pontipee the dog. "Remember, Pontipee, if somebody comes onto the ship, bark loudly."

"Alright... Let's go out there, get Leira back, and kick some ass," Terrance says before we leave the ship and step onto Comstock Island.

* * *

**(1) - **The BCB is supposed to be the One Piece equivalent to the BBC. Also, to clarify, Llewellyn's accent is an Irish accent (despite his Welsh name).

**Review if you want to see some action!**


	4. Stanton Milliken

**Author's Note: **Here is where things start to get heated up. And, here is where there are some obvious parallels drawn with raunchy comedy movies centered toward guys that involve drinking and bachelor parties. XD

Raunchy movies aside, time to begin the chapter!

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own anything that's already trademarked.**

* * *

**Ch. 4: "Stanton Milliken."**

During the fifteen-minute walk to the main drag, it gets dark out. For the last five minutes, we have been walking with only the full moon, clear skies, and city lights on the horizon as a guide to where we are going.

"So, what's this island like?" I ask.

"It's half-desert, half-mountain. It has casinos -" Terrance explains.

"Lots of casinos," Beal adds.

"The downtown area is where most of the casinos are, but the more... Luxurious casinos are outside of downtown. Downtown Comstock City is probably one of the most shady places in the East Blue," Terrance explains. "Aside from pirates, you've got drunks, druggies, homeless people, gamblers who are down on their luck and desperate, prostitutes, and the occasional transvestite. Downtown is also where any casino that has a hotel has rates that charge their rooms by the hour. Make what you will of that."

"So... We're going downtown?" I ask.

"We're working our way into downtown. Even the nicer hotels and casinos outside of downtown have had incidents of prostitution," Stanton explains. I then notice that the desert has given way to shopping plazas, houses, and other buildings touting their own goods and services. A large tower about thirty or so stories high comes closer to us with each step.

"_Where do we start - The Toscana Hotel and Casino, the Grande Comstock, or the Mermaid's Cove Hotel and Casino_?" Donovan telepathically asks us.

"Mermaid's Cove is coming right up, so we'll go there, then to the Toscana. Grande Comstock is pratically on the other side of the island, so we'll go there last if we don't find Leira downtown," Terrance explains. "The Mermaid's Cove is the big hotel we're coming up on. Everybody, make sure you have your weapons before we go in."

* * *

Right before we enter the hotel and casino, Terrance stops us.

"We'll need to split off to cover everything," Terrance says. "Kim, you'll be with Yohan. Indie, you'll be with Stanton. Donovan, you'll go with me. Aomame, you'll be with Beal and Llewellyn," Terrance explains. "Everyone, try to meet me and Donovan here in an hour."

"An hour's not enough time to find Leira," Kim pointed out.

"This hotel is small enough for us to split off and cover it in the span of an hour. The Toscana will also be small enough for us to cover it in an hour. However, there is a lot of ground to cover in Downtown Comstock City, so we would need several hours to sweep the area. Lastly, as the Grande Comstock is a larger resort, we would need two hours at the mininum to search that hotel. Are there any questions?" Terrance explains to us.

"What if we don't find Leira anywhere? Do we have to go beyond the mountains?" Yohan asks us.

"The mountain roads are closed until next month, so the Dragon Lady can't escape through there. She'll have to escape through the marina we docked at," Terrance explains. Before Terrance can say another word, I speak.

"How do you know all this?" I ask. Terrance turns to me.

"This is where I used to live before I ran off on my jackass of a father," Terrance answers simply before he turns back to everyone. "Ready, everyone?"

"Ready," All of us answer. Terrance holds the door open for us.

"Right then, let's go. Remember - Meet back here in an hour," Terrance explains. "Should the plans change, Donovan will tell you what to do and where to go."

* * *

It's been five minutes since entering the hotel/casino, and it seems like Beal, Llewellyn, and I have walked the entire perimeter of the casino floor, despite its large size.

"Have we been past this gift shop, or is it me?" I ask.

"It's you. Large spaces tend to have that effect on people," Beal explains.

"We're not gainin' ground by circling the casino," Llewellyn points out. The three of us stop walking and stand next to a pillar. Two men in tuxedos pass us. (1)

"The Mermaid Concierge Rooms on floors 27 - 30 are where the experiences with the Dragon Lady's whores are at. She even has mermaids and Fishwomen on some evenings..." One of the men says as the two walk past. When the men are out of earshot, we become riled up.

"How do we get to floors 27 - 30?!" Llewellyn asks us as we begin running to a check-in area with white, marble floors and glass elevators. Beal frantically runs up to a check-in desk.

"Excuse me, good sir, but can you check me and my two friends into a Mermaid Concierge Room?" Beal asks the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, but you have to hold reservations for those rooms at least a month in advance and you must pay three hundred Beri the day you book a Mermaid Concierge Room," The receptionist explains. "And, no, don't even use the arguement 'We decided to stop here for the night and it was a last minute decision'."

Beal sighs as he rejoins me and Llewellyn.

"Chin up, Beal. Where there's a will, there's a way," Llewellyn says re-assuringly.

"I'm afraid we probably lost our chance to raid the top floors for Leira," Beal explains. I then see a woman walk up to the desk Beal is at. She's very beautiful, with long, black hair, tanned skin, and a tight, skimpy dress with a high collar and slits up the side.

"Is that Leira?" I ask.

"Are you bloody kiddin' me, Aomame?! That's the Dragon Lady, the woman we're trying to bring down!" Llewellyn loudly whispers to me. Beal shushes us.

"Now is our chance. Don't ruin it," Beal whispers as we follow the Dragon Lady to an elevator. I look to the desk, where the receptionist is on the phone with somebody. I guess Beal was right, as it seems like our chance. "Excuse me, miss! Can we ride with you?"

The Dragon Lady stops the elevator doors from closing and lets us in. As the elevator doors close, she presses the button that will take us to floor 27.

"You don't look like guests who would be staying at ANY of the Mermaid Concierge Rooms," The Dragon Lady observes as the elevator begins to go up.

"Oh! We..." Llewellyn says, scratching the back of his head to think of a plan. "We're travel agents! Our boss sent us to Comstock Island for the night to photograph the hotels in the area!"

My eyes trail to the glass material of the elevator, which looks out to what seems like the entire casino floor. From my vantage point, I think I can make out Indie and Stanton going down an escalator.

"Oh, so you like to travel?" The Dragon Lady asks. For somebody who wields so much power and influence, the Dragon Lady also seems very gullible.

"Yes. Yes, I do," Beal says as the elevator comes to a stop at floor 27.

"I can help you out. I'm only going to be at each hotel in the area for a half-hour, hour max. How long are you three going to be here?" The Dragon Lady asks us.

"Two hours," Llewellyn answers with a smile. "We know what we're doin', so we don't need any help. Thank you for the offer, though."

The Dragon Lady smiles.

"Alright. I hope I see you before you leave," The Dragon Lady says before walking down the hall. When the coast is clear, we close the elevator door.

"Just to be on the safe side..." Beal says as he pushes the button for floor 28. The three of us breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"So, you never told me what Leira looks like," I say, breaking the silence.

"She's nineteen and has blue hair and thick, black glasses. You can't miss her," Beal says as the elevator opens up into a suite... That is being occupied by several rowdy, drunk men and a few scantily-clad women. The party goes silent as we step inside.

"Oi, they brought another whore! This bachelor party just got hotter!" A man - who I assume is the bachelor throwing the party - shouts from across the room. The men cheer as two men come closer to me. Beal grabs his swords that were strapped to his back.

"Do not try to come near her!" Beal shouts. Llewellyn slowly gets out his war scythe, unsure of what to do.

"You want me, the groom, or the usher?" One of the men asks, his breath reeking with alcohol. Out of instinct, I grab one of my knives and make a clean, yet shallow, cut along the side of his face.

"Try anything funny, and I will hurt you," I threaten. The other man ignores me, as he is now undoing the buttons to my blouse. Without another word, I stab him right on top of his hand. As the drunk man recoils, I put my knife back into my pouch. The room is silent.

"Call hotel security, NOW! This bitch is crazy!" The groom yells. Llewellyn, Beal, and I turn on our heels and press the "down" button on the elevator as the men try to call hotel security. What seems like minutes later, the elevator doors open, allowing us to pile in and close the doors on the bachelor party gone wrong (and for me to button my blouse back up).

"Look what we feckin' did! Now the Dragon Lady is going to get our arses for that!" Llewellyn curses as Beal presses the button to go back down to the casino floor. The elevator begins to move.

"She's too busy screwing somebody to care, Llewellyn! And, besides, those men were so drunk, they won't remember it in the morning!" I yell.

"The both of you, calm down! We're trying to keep a professional head here! We can't fall apart now!" Beal shouts. But, it is not Beal that gets us to calm down - Instead, it's Donovan.

"_Llewellyn, Aomame, Beal, we have a change of plans - Terrance nearly got us sent to hotel security, so we have to scrap the search here and move onto the Toscana. Meet us near the exit of the Sky Arcade_," Donovan instructs.

"Where is that?" I ask before I remember that Donovan is usuing telepathy and he is in a different part of the casino/hotel.

"_Go to the second floor and follow the signs. When you go into a part of the casino that has a sushi bar and glass walls, you've made it to the Sky Arcade. Hurry up and try to get there in ten,_" Donovan explains.

* * *

**(1) - **FYI, the men in the tuxedos weren't at the bachelor party.

**Review if you want to see the action at the Toscana!**


	5. Donovan Tan

**Author's Note: **Sorry the chapter's late. Had a bit of writer's block.

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

**Ch. 5: "Donovan Tan."**

After jogging through the Sky Arcade, Beal, Llewellyn, and I arrive at the back entrance/exit of the casino, where Terrance, Donovan, Indie, and Stanton wait for us.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Picked a fight with a guy who was talking about his night with Leira at some downtown brothel. Apparently, that guy had language that was so pleasant and family-friendly, Donovan was even blushing," Terrance replies sarcastically.

"We ran into the Dragon Lady and crashed a bachelor party," Beal says with a smile.

"And we had a bloody good reason to run! Two drunks tried to harass Aomame, but she defended herself. Then, we had to get away, because the drunk guys were going to call hotel security on us," Llewellyn explains.

"You ran into the Dragon Lady?!" Terrance asks us. "Who was with her?!"

"Nobody. We even had a nice - yet faked - chat with her," Beal answers with a smile.

"By the way, where are Kim and Yohan?" I ask.

"There you are!"

Kim and Yohan run up to us.

"What took you? We had hotel security called on Aomame, Llewellyn, and Beal, and they almost called hotel security on Terrance and Donovan!" Indie asks the merchant and shipwright.

"This hotel has a confusing layout. Enough said," Kim explains.

"Yeah, I know. We got lost trying to find the Sky Arcade," Stanton says in agreement.

"At least we can kiss the Sky Arcade and the Mermaid's Cove good-bye. Onward to the Toscana," Terrance says.

* * *

Two minutes later, we're crossing the street to begin the walk to the Toscana. Yohan and I are in the back of the group.

"So, Aomame, tell me about your family. Surely, you must have family back home," Yohan suggests. I sigh.

"My mom and dad were poor, so they sent me to live with my uncle when I was ten. My uncle is a story best saved for another day," I explain. "It's been fifteen years since I last saw my parents. I hope they're doing fine."

Yohan sighs.

"I wonder if Wolfgang, my son, is feeling the same way right now," Yohan says sadly.

"Does he... Still have his mother?" I ask.

"Technically. Five years ago, my wife fell into a severe depression, and I don't know why. One day, as a family, we decided to leave the island to go to a theme park on a nearby island. When we got home that evening, my wife said she was tired and she went into our room. I thought nothing of it. Then, I had to go into my room to get my checkbook so I could pay a client of mine, and that's when I saw my wife... On the bed, with her wrists slit. I called the hospital immidiately, and my wife recovered physically. Mentally... She was still depressed, so I had to make the difficult decision to put her in a mental hospital. Since then, she has attempted suicide two more times, which is why my wife hasn't been released from the hospital yet," Yohan explains. I grow silent.

"That's... Horrible," I comment. "How did Wolfgang take it?"

"I told him that his mother tried to kill herself, but I didn't tell him how. He just handled it... Kind of stoically. He only cried twice during the whole ordeal - The night my wife first tried to kill herself and his first time at the mental hospital to see her," Yohan explains.

"Is that why you went out to sea? To forget?" I ask.

"No, not to forget. Aomame, I went out to sea... To find myself. I've been in a mid-life crisis for five years. That's too damn long. As much as I want to go back to the Grand Line and go to my son's high school graduation, I can't. This time, I have to put my nakama first, since one of my own is in danger," Yohan explains. It's then that I realize something -

This crew has a lot of issues. My broke parents gave me up to an uncle who practiced sham medicine and forced me to overdose on pills in the name of "science", Terrance's father is a deadbeat, Donovan was rendered mute in a brutal attack that left his vocal cords torn out, Leira has been whored out for six months by an infamous pirate, and Yohan's wife is depressed and suicidal, which drove Yohan to leave his son to "find himself".

* * *

What seems like seconds later, we arrive at the Toscana.

"Okay, the groups will be different this time - I'll go with Kim, Yohan will go with Llewellyn and Stanton, Beal will go with Indie, and Aomame will go with Donovan. Meet me and Kim back here in an hour," Terrance explains.

"Got it," Beal says before he goes off with Indie. Donovan and I begin to walk in the other direction.

"_Where are we going_?" Donovan asks me.

"We'll just cover the casino floor. I don't want to crash another bachelor party," I answer. Donovan sighs.

"_Welcome to my world right now_..." Donovan says in agreement as we go deeper into the casino floor, feeling grateful that we don't want to make the same mistakes we made at the Mermaid's Cove.

* * *

**Ending Note: **Friendly reminder that the next chapter will be told in Leira's P.O.V. and the chapter after that will be told in the Dragon Lady's P.O.V.

**Review if you want to see the Dragon Lady's P.O.V. to see why she's the villain she is.**


	6. Leira Aries

**Author's Note: **Here is the chapter that will be told in Leira's P.O.V. It's short, but it shows off just how awesome she can be.

Also, I decided to make the next chapter return to Aomame's P.O.V., as I have decided to not use the Dragon Lady's P.O.V. To make up for it, Parallel Works will most likely be updated later tonight.

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

**Ch. 6: "Leira Aries."**

**Leira's P.O.V.**

Another night, another round of drunk men and rough sex.

This experience at this brothel isn't how I planned to lose my virginity.

Anyway, back to the story - I'm sitting in my lavish "bedroom" at the Comstock Island Hotel and Casino (read: Hotel, Casino, and Brothel; this places rents rooms by the hour), waiting for the next client. I've grown to ignore the men who force themselves upon and into me, but something has me on edge about them - There's been a disease going around among the prostitutes lately. Some are well within a week, others... Aren't so lucky. Between the infections and the episodes of fainting and shock, the other prostitutes end up either dead or infertile due to the disease. The prostitutes that do end up infertile... Well, Ms. Jiang, our boss, deals with them.

Ms. Jiang, better known as the "Dragon Lady", is a piece of work. She has brothels in high and low places, with such euphemistic names such as "hotel", "boarding house", and even "safe house". I even heard rumors that after we clear out of Comstock Island tonight, we'll be going to an island in the Grand Line to build her latest brothel, the Peony Pavilion Resort and Casino, all in her vain attempts to become a member of the Shichibukai.

Shichibukai my ass. Tonight is the night I will stop her.

After changing into more comfortable clothes (blue T-shirt, black jeans, and blue sneakers) than the standard-issue cocktail dress and stripper heels and tying up my long, blue hair, I look around my room, and I spy a pack of cigarettes on my nightstand that a previous client left behind. Next to it is a matchbook advertising the brothel. Without a second thought, I strike the match against the book and light up the cigarette. Instead of putting the cigarette into my mouth, I put it on the pillow, which begins to smoulder.

"Mission complete," I say to myself before I walk out of the room. As I walk down the hall to the stairs (taking the elevator would be a bit risky, considering that I just set a fire and made it look like an accident), chaos erupts around me.

"Fire! In room 628!"

"We can't get in! The door's shut!"

"Well, what do we do? Do we let the fire burn, or what?!"

Smirking to myself, I pull out the key to my old room, room 628.

"Idiots," I say to myself as I descend down the stairs.

* * *

When I walk outside, I look back, and I see smoke and flames spreading throughout the sixth floor of the thirty-story hotel/casino/brothel. I smile to myself.

"Free at last..." I say to myself as I turn around and walk away.

* * *

**Ending Note: **I just realized that this crew is very sarcastic, especially Terrance and Leira.

**Review if you want to see what the Aries Pirates are up to!**


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